Richard Towers: ‘I need to feel like Sconiers is going to kick off’

HOW often are boxers scared? Or intimidated? And when would they ever admit it?

For Hatton Promotions heavyweight Richard Towers, the key to extending his 12-0 record tomorrow is to embrace the nagging doubts, the worries, and to use them to his advantage.

The 32-year-old faces American Harold Sconiers at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, but it’s from another American – hall-of-famer Mike Tyson – that he’s been drawing inspiration.

“Obviously we’ve all got doubts, all boxers get nervous, they get negative thoughts running through their mind, but all you can do is reflect on what’s to come,” says Towers.

“Recently I watched a documentary about Mike Tyson, which really motivated me. When you are going through different things, all those negative things in your mind, you have to realise that the guy across the ring could take your life at any time.

“He has the option to do that, but you have to be the better man so that doesn’t happen. And I need to feel that edge, I need to feel like this guy is going to kick off.”

Sconiers (18-23-2) once took Razor Ruddock to a split decision but has lost three of his past four. That record matters little to Towers, who wants to elevate his status to that of Britain’s leading heavyweights.

He says he has been promised a title shot following this fight – although he opted not to ask for any more details – but there is no chance of letting the 35-year-old Sconiers out of his sights.

“He is a very tricky fighter and I know he’s put down one of the American’s rising stars in Deontay Wilder (in winning, Wilder was put down once, Sconiers four times, in 2010). He’s a very dangerous and credible adversary.

“The thing is, I’ve got no worries that I didn’t do everything I possibly could to prepare for this fight. According to my trainers, they say I’m ready.

“The guy (Sconiers) is another pedestal, another stepping-stone for me. To get to the moon, you have to look up to the skies. I’ve not cut any corners in preparing for this fight.”

The show is headlined by Gary Buckland’s British super-featherweight title defence against Middlebrough’s Paul Truscott.